catalog 05-06.indd - Undergraduate Admissions - Gallaudet University

About Gallaudetcampus community. The Board of Trustees expects that theadministration will use these guidelines and will develop additionalmeans of accomplishing these goals:The Gallaudet student body will be reflective of the differentways that deaf and hard of hearing individuals live in society.The University will actively seek to recruit students ofcolor, and students with different communicative pursuits aswell as other dimensions of diversity and will endeavor toprovide a supportive environment on campus for all students.In the next century, deafness as a condition will change.Our plans for the university cannot be limited to withinour national borders; we must broaden our outlook to includedeafness on a global scale, to welcome individuals fromsocieties outside the US and around the world.The education of young deaf and hard of hearing childrenhas always been a part of Gallaudet University’s mission.Gallaudet will continue to promote students’ fundamentalskills including communication, literacy, science, mathematicsand technology competence. Gallaudet is also committedto contributing to the well-being of our students, includingstrong emotional lives, an appreciation for cultural diversity,a sense of safety and justice, and support for their differentlife goals. The University is responsible for creating environmentsthat nurture the development of young children intoadults, and will recruit and support teachers whose skillsmake these environments possible.The Gallaudet University campus community includesstudents, faculty, teachers and staff, all of whom sharecertain common goals and values that we all believe enrichour academic environment. The community’s primary goalis to prepare students to be informed, literate, productiveand responsible citizens. In pursuit of this goal, communitymembers pledge to uphold the following values:We believe that education is a dominant influence onour lives and recognize that learning is a lifelong quest.Therefore we will practice academic and personal integrityand work to create a positive and welcoming environmentthat is open to the free exchange of ideas among members ofour community.We believe that every person should be treated withcivility and that our community is strengthened by the broaddiversity of its members. Therefore, we will promote andapplaud behaviors that support the dignity of individualsand groups and are respectful of others’ opinions. Wewill especially discourage behaviors and attitudes thatdisrespect the diversity of individuals and groups for anyreason including religion, race, ethnicity, gender, age,sexual orientation, disability, hearing status, or language andcommunication preference.We believe that as members of the Gallaudet communitywe are the recipients of a proud and rich heritage, as wellas contributors to and benefactors of our institution’s brightfuture. Therefore, we will strive to bring credit to ourcommunity and ensure that the institution flourishes andsucceeds in its mission.Gallaudet faculty will be recruited on the basis of excellencein scholarship and teaching.The University will endeavor to support the activitiesof faculty members toward this goal in a variety ofways, including but not limited to: creating post-doctoralfellowships for young deaf and hard of hearing scholars;providing institutional support for faculty research and forrelationships with research bodies within and outside of theuniversity; promoting professional development, includingefforts to improve pedagogy; and recognizing academicservice toward these goals.Gallaudet’s commitment to excellence and diversity shouldextend to the recruitment and retention of students; selectionand professional development of faculty and administrators;and the development of a pool of potential deaf and hard ofhearing candidates for faculty positions at Gallaudet andelsewhere.Gallaudet recognizes that its students and faculty aresupported by a broad network of staff and other supportpersonnel, and will endeavor to promote diversity among allstaff and support personnel, as their influence and reach intoall aspects of the campus are broad and meaningful.Gallaudet recognizes a responsibility to gather and evaluatedata showing both the progress that has been made and thework that is still to be done.Gallaudet will focus especially on generating data aboutthe deaf and hard of hearing that does not exist elsewhere.The Gallaudet CredoGallaudet’s Vision Statement expresses what theUniversity aspires to become and achieve as the world’spremier academic institution for deaf and hard of hearingpeople. Implicit in our vision are core values that serveas guiding principles for the way members of the campuscommunity teach, study, work and live. The Gallaudet Credoidentifies and realizes those core values.4